This is bananas, marathon runners run an extra 5K race as an SRLA senior graduation ceremony!

Some of the SRLA students that ran the marathon continued to run in a group for the senior graduation ceremony for SRLA .This was taking place because there was going to be a separate senior race on May 4 2013. In which they had to prepare for in order to accomplish the race.They started to prepare for the race directly after they have finished the Los Angeles Marathon.

The little SRLA group that was put together for the seniors is a brand new tradition that started this year. It will now be held for senior runners every year after they have completed the marathon. This race that took place was a 5k, 3 mile run around the Honda Facility in the city of Torrance.

They had the opportunity to play some educational and sport games in the ceremony. Where if the case were to be that they won a game they would receive raffle tickets were they would win certain prices Honda provided. SRLA seniors also had the pleasure to eat In n’ Out because Honda had catered it for them. This is a good deal because these seniors ran for a good cause and they are being treated with respect for that.

This preparation for the race really had a benefit for these senior runners because it allowed them to keep an active and healthy  after school activity. “It feels nice to run.. I feel I can run the marathon again”  said Senior runner Gerry Hernandez .Once these seniors started training for the small race they felt that they had the ability to run another marathon even though they had just finished accomplishing one. Which shows how exciting  and  beneficial this training for the race was.

This training that took place was very significant because of the blood drive that happened. Also because of the the bone marrow test that took place during the race. This will identify any matches for patients with cancer. This shows that all the extra training for this race is worth training for because it will benefit others as well. An these senior runners are left with the feeling of  pride that they accomplished the race. Many runners also felt sorrow within because they will not be waking up early on weekend mornings to run the races together.Even though they feel these both emotions the wonderful memories that they had shared will be held for ever by many of them.

     Gerry  once said that it is motivating to keep running because of the others that once ran with him and the motivation that the other individuals once had provided.“Once you start you have to  keep pushing yourself and be committed  because it is a really fun experience…training still feels the same we just go home more earlier because we run less” said Gerry. Many other runners can relate to Gerry because of the feeling they get from others whenever  they had ran in the races.Even though these runners already ran the marathon they still have the courage to continue to run.  They still feel that they have accomplished many obstacles because of the motivation that the get from others during the races.

Following onto a more serious matter the Boston explosion had took place during the time the senior SRLA runners were training for their race.What happened in the Boston explosion doesn’t scare me, but it makes me feel more aware, which concerns me a bit” said Gerry. Even though the bombing took place in Boston, New York back here in Los Angeles runners felt the intensity that made them feel a little insecure of their safety.

3 people dead more than 200 people injured, the Boston marathon.  The 26.2 marathon has been happening ever since 1897 every third Monday of April from Eastern Massachusetts, ending in Boston.
The marathon is a highly controversial sport because it’s not like any other competitive sports that involves rivals disputing whether whose better. Unlike those competitive sports the marathon is always the biggest target in the country because anyone can go because it’s free. People attend this huge event to either cheer  or volunteer.
Crowds can press right up against the route as runners wind their way through city streets. But two explosions at the Boston Marathon have raised questions about whether that openness can last.
Jeo Berti along with his wife and running group had witness the Boston explosion moments after finishing the marathon. Berti and his group decided to run with Champions 4 Children, an organization that helps kids with rare disorders and their families.
He and his group ran for children who are diagnosed with a rare or undiagnosed disorder who track their  running from home. Berti however felt that he was running out of energy, and felt that his pace was slowing down. But what kept him running was his the child he was running for Drew.
According to Fox News, 30 seconds after finishing the marathon he had heard first explosion, and then turned around and saw the smoke. He immediately knew that it was a bomb, then  seconds another explosion occurred and saw people running said, Jeo Berti

He right away became concerned about his wife and running group. He thought that maybe they had already finished and were at the restaurant they were suppose to meet at. He tried to remove all those negative thoughts from mind..

Berti’s thoughts were a little off in reality Amy Berti and a friend were just a few yards from the first explosion. Amy Berti had taken a picture of Berti when she was moments away from the finish line. She and her friend were both hit by a shrapnel. Amy was uninjured, her friend was bruised.

But a woman right next to Amy had her leg torn off from her and knee down, and lost all the fingers in her left hand. Amy Berti went to get help, she immediately started to look for her husband she was traveling from tent to tent but found nothing. She tried tried calling him but his cell phone battery died.

According to Fox News, When Amy saw her husband cross the finish line where the bomb went off she didn’t whether if he made it through because she couldn’t find him, said Amy Berti.
An hour, the couple reunited at their hotel both of them were okay. They left Boston Tuesday morning and returned to their home Austin Texas,to get back to their two girls, ages 8 and 11.